Make items on the screen appear bigger (Magnifier)

Magnifier enlarges different parts of the screen and is part of the Ease of Access Center. To open it quickly, click Start, and then type Magnifier.

You can also change the screen resolution, which adjusts the clarity, size, and amount of things that fit on your computer monitor. To learn more about adjusting the screen resolution, see Getting the best display on your monitor.

Notes

If you want to have Magnifier at your fingertips, you can pin it to the taskbar. To learn more about pinning, see Pin a program to the taskbar.

To exit Magnifier, press the Windows logo key +Esc.

There are three Magnifier modes:

Full-screen mode. In full-screen mode, your entire screen is magnified. Depending on the size of your screen and the zoom level you choose, you might not be able to see all of the screen at the same time.

Lens mode. In lens mode, the area around the mouse pointer is magnified. When you move the mouse pointer, the area of the screen that's magnified moves along with it.

Docked mode. In docked mode, only a portion of the screen is magnified, leaving the rest of your desktop unchanged. You can then control which area of the screen is magnified.

Note

Full-screen mode and lens mode are only available as part of the Aero experience. If your computer doesn't support Aero, or if you're not using an Aero‌ theme, Magnifier will only work in docked mode.

Watch this video to learn how to make items on the screen appear bigger (1:56)

To make items on the screen appear bigger

Open Magnifier by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Magnifier.

On the Views menu, click the mode that you want to use.

Move the pointer to the part of the screen that you want to magnify.

Notes

When you're using full-screen mode, you can quickly preview your entire desktop by clicking the Views menu, and then clicking Preview full screen.

Open Magnifier by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Magnifier.

Click the Options button
, and then select the option that you want:

Option

Description

Option

Follow the mouse pointer

Description

Displays the area around the mouse pointer in the Magnifier window. When you select this option, you can choose to have the Magnifier window move when the mouse pointer approaches or when the mouse pointer hits the edge of the Magnifier window.

Option

Follow the keyboard focus

Description

Displays the area around the pointer when you press the Tab or arrow keys.

Open Magnifier by clicking the Start button , clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking Ease of Access, and then clicking Magnifier.

Click the Options button
, and then move the slider to adjust the zoom increment. Moving the slider to the left causes Magnifier to zoom slower, with smaller changes between zoom levels. Moving the slider to the right causes Magnifier to zoom faster, with larger changes between zoom levels.